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guest column
End Bans On Abortion Coverage
W
hen it comes
to the most
important
decisions in life, such as
whether to become a par-
ent, it is critical that a
woman be able to consider
all the options available to
her, no matter her income Cathy Cantor
or insurance. Sadly, this
basic respect for women’s
personal decision making is denied to
many Michiganders.
One of the many laws our state politi-
cians have enacted to push abortion out
of reach even garnered national attention
when it took effect two years ago — with
reporters from MSNBC to Newsweek giv-
ing us the spotlight; Michigan’s restriction
has been called the “rape insurance” law
because the measure bars private health
insurers from offering any abortion cover-
age unless it is sold as a separate, stand-
alone insurance policy.
But Michigan lawmakers aren’t the
only legislators who have stooped so low
to interfere in women’s decision mak-
ing. Sept. 30 marked
40 years of politicians
in Congress using the
Hyde Amendment to
limit a woman’s abil-
ity to access safe, legal
abortion. This policy,
which Congress has
approved annually, is a
Irma Glaser
federal ban that denies
coverage of abortion to
women insured through Medicaid.
Since then, the Hyde Amendment has
been expanded to deny coverage to federal
employees and their dependents, military
service members, Native Americans, Peace
Corps volunteers, immigrants and resi-
dents of Washington, D.C. These related
bans fall hardest on women struggling
to make ends meet, which can have far-
reaching consequences.
A woman who makes the decision to
seek abortion but is denied is more likely
to fall into poverty than a woman who can
obtain this care. And, further eroding a
woman’s autonomy, Medicaid bans have
been shown to force one in four women
seeking abortion to carry an unwanted
pregnancy to term.
This begs the question: Since abortion is
legal in this country, why are some women
who seek abortions discriminated against
simply because of their economic status or
their source of insurance?
As Jewish women who believe each of
us is of equal worth, regardless of income,
race, gender or other factors, we find this
discrimination unconscionable. We all
deserve the freedom to make personal
decisions based on our own religious or
moral beliefs and circumstances, including
critical decisions about our bodies, health
and family.
However we feel about abortion, it is
unjust for politicians to enshrine one
religious view about abortion into law in
order to restrict access to care. Doing so
not only risks a woman’s health and eco-
nomic security, but denies her religious
liberty, interfering in her ability to make
her own faith-informed decisions.
And we are not alone in this view. Polls
have shown that a majority of voters
across the United States disagree with
politicians denying women health cover-
age just because they are poor.
Thankfully, current legislation in
Congress would restore this coverage. The
Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in
Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act, HR
2972, would end bans on abortion cover-
age, lifting the federal Hyde Amendment.
It would also bar the kind of political
interference in the private health insur-
ance market that we have now notoriously
experienced in Michigan.
We must remain vigilant in opposing
legislation designed to chip away at the
right to a safe, legal abortion, whether
proposed by state lawmakers or those in
Congress. But we must also take proactive
steps to stop politicians from interfering
with a woman’s most important personal
decisions. Repealing Hyde with the EACH
Woman Act will do just that, ensuring the
basic respect that each of us deserves.
*
Cathy Cantor and Irma Glaser are Michigan state
policy advocates with the National Council of Jewish
Women (NCJW) and members of the NCJW Greater
Detroit Section.
guest column
Why Vote For A Regional Transit Authority?
E
veryone knows Detroit is the “Motor
City” that made automotive trans-
portation a staple method of getting
around town. Unfortunately, not everyone
in the Metro Detroit area has access to a
vehicle. Those without a car have slim to no
options for getting from point A to point B.
A few years ago, one of my friends
who lives in Midtown had to commute to
Bloomfield Hills for work without a car.
Aside from working her normal eight-
hour shift, she would have to spend two
hours every day taking the DDOT bus in
the morning from Woodward to its final
destination at Eight Mile, transfer onto the
Smart Bus, and then walk a mile from the
bus stop to get to her office and would do
the same commute in reverse on the way
home.
Her story is common for those who must
rely on the current system of inefficient
mass transportation to get to work, to buy
groceries and other basic trips that those
with vehicles take for granted.
Aside from providing transportation to
those without vehicles, voting to pass the
Regional Transit Authority (RTA) master
plan would require less road construction
and would reduce Metro
Detroit’s carbon footprint.
People in Metro Detroit
need access to reliable,
efficient and affordable
public transportation
to live. As shared in the
story above, not everyone
Kimberly Siegel is at the point in their life
where they can afford
a car. The cost of own-
ing a car is astronomical
when you consider the cost of purchasing a
vehicle, insurance, gas money, AAA, etc.
The system developed by the RTA would
allow people to complete basic necessary
tasks such as getting to work to make a
living or the grocery store for produce in a
short period of time without the excruciat-
ingly long time spent using the current
inefficient bus system.
Additionally, not everyone who owns
a vehicle feels safe driving on the roads.
Many people do not feel comfortable driv-
ing during the night, during rush hour
or after a glass of Manischewitz. Having
an efficient mass transportation system
in Metro Detroit would create alternative
options for people to travel without step-
ping into their car.
The RTA master plan would also
decrease road construction. It is no news
flash that Michigan roads are in poor shape,
ranking among the worst in the country.
We spend an astronomical amount of
money repairing vehicles damaged by our
crumbling infrastructure.
Our roads require frequent repairs to
keep up with the heavy number of cars
traveling on them. If people in Metro
Detroit had efficient methods of mass
transportation, fewer cars would be travel-
ing on the roads, which would mean less
need for repairs.
Additionally, taxpayer money that is
currently spread thin across many dif-
ferent projects could be concentrated on
specific initiatives and could even increase
the money spent on better materials for
the roads and green infrastructure to
manage storm water. This spending would
benefit the public in many ways, includ-
ing increasing the quality of our roads,
reducing the frequency of patch jobs and
construction, and less traffic due to con-
struction.
On Oct. 20, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Detroit
Jews for Justice is partnering with the
Downtown Synagogue for a regional
transit panel that will discuss history of
transit inequity in our region, the issue’s
ties to structural racism and opportuni-
ties for a better system with passage of
the Nov. 8 ballot proposal. The panel will
be held at the Downtown Synagogue
and is free. Visit detroitjewsforjustice.org
to learn about upcoming educational
presentations and phone banks. Go to
voteyesforregionaltransit.com for infor-
mation about how you can support the
campaign.
BETTER FOR THE EARTH
Especially with the celebration of Rosh
Hashanah, the creation of the Earth 5777
years ago, this time of year reminds us that
it is important that we protect Adonai’s
most vital creation: the Earth. In the story
of Creation in the Book of Genesis, humans
are created on the sixth day. Humankind is
the last piece of the puzzle to come into the
picture because we depend on the creation
continued on page 10
8 October 13 • 2016